Incompatibility
by kazoquel4
Summary: Having finished nursing school, Calypso is thrilled to get a job at a local hospital. But when the new intern turns out to be no other than Leo Valdez, her unofficial archenemy, things take a turn for the worse, and the two realize they're even more incompatible than they thought. SEQUEL to the Green Eyed Delinquent. Caleo.
1. Chapter 1

**Incompatibility**

**Sequel to the Green Eyed Delinquent. If you haven't read that story, this story ****_could _****stand on its own, but I will be referencing that one often, so I suggest you go give it a quick read. **

D**isclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any of the characters in it. Cover Art is not mine; it was found on Google Images. Full credit to the artist. **

xxCalypsoxx

"Oh, no, no, no!"

I bent down to examine the plant in the window, frowning deeply. The delicate purple flower, which I had been trying to coax into growing bigger for months, had drooped nearly to the ground. Its petals hung limp, as though the life had been drained out of them.

"Oh, what's wrong?"I asked, gently lifting it to peek at the soil, which was still moist from when I had last watered it. "You can't possibly be thirsty. Are you getting too much sun?"

Moving slowly so as not to further hurt it, I lifted the small pot and transferred it to the table next to my armchair, out of the direct sunlight. I stood up, hands on her hips, and sighed. There was really nothing I could do except wait to see if it perked up a bit.

As I left my small library I brushed the dirt off my hands, glad to have completed my gardening for the moment. Don't get me wrong; I loved the plants all around my house. They livened things up, made everything a bit more beautiful- but at times they could be a pain to take care of. _Especially _when they started to die for no reason at all.

Glancing at the clock, which read 7:34, I started gathering my things together, humming under my breath. My work was only fifteen minutes away, but I liked getting there early just in case. There was no place I loved better than the hospital- which sounded slightly morbid, really- and my new job as a nurse was perfect. After my long struggle to save money and get through school, it was actually quite relaxing to go into work every day and earn some money. And quitting my old job as a waitress had been absolutely wonderful.

Grabbing my keys and glancing at my reflection one last time in the microwave, I pulled open the door and stepped outside into the early morning air. Pausing only to lock the door behind me, I hurried to my car, which was parked in the driveway, and hopped in.

The drive to work passed smoothly and without a lot of traffic, which was a relief. As I drove, I allowed my mind to wander to my birthday- my 26th. I felt a sour expression cross my face at the thought.

Growing up in a home with no mother and a father that was barely around, I had never been a big fan of my birthdays. I had never had a lot of friends to celebrate with, and if my father did happen to remember, he would toss me a twenty dollar bill and tell me to go out and buy myself something nice before disappearing again with his poker buddies. Now that he was gone, I was in no danger of that, but there would be no one to celebrate with- no one I really _wanted _to celebrate with.

_Not true, _a small voice in my mind said. There _was _a certain green-eyed boy who I would enjoy seeing on my birthday, and who I was sure would love to celebrate with me.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind I gave my head a hard shake, my cheeks burning. When I had first met Percy Jackson seven years ago- wow, was it really that long ago?- I admit that I had developed a teensy crush on him. To be fair, though, it was kind of hard not to; after hitting a dude with your car, taking him back to your place, and caring for him until he woke up, it was sort of hard not to be attracted to him. Plus, he had been so sweet and funny-

Off track. Anyways, when he left I was devastated, but we hadn't known each other too long, and I had things to do. He had promised to keep in touch, but, well, I hadn't exactly believed him at the time. He obviously had other more important problems.

Which was why I was surprised to get a call from him a month later, inviting me to lunch with him.

This might seem romantic to some people, but the kicker was that he had a girlfriend. A really good one. I had actually met her several times, and although I tried, I could never bring myself to dislike her. She was smart and beautiful, and it was obvious from looking at them that she made Percy very happy. There was nothing I could do, and I would never try and get between them. So I backed off.

Percy continued to call me up every month or so and invite me out, and although I knew we could never be anything more than friends, I couldn't say no. Call me pathetic, or lonely, or whatever; the truth was, though, I valued my friendship with him even with the one-sided feelings, and I wasn't about to give it up because of a bit of a little heartbreak.

So here I was, all these years later, still going on annual coffee 'dates' with Percy. There were periods when I got over him, and periods when I went through great pain over the thought of not being with him, but he was always there, that nagging crush, that massive 'what-if' in the back of my mind.

And it absolutely sucked.

I tugged myself out of my musings when I pulled into my parking space at work. Grabbing my bag and opening the door, I slid out and shut it behind me. Locking the car, I set off at a brisk walk towards the front doors of the hospital, which slid open to greet me when I got close enough.

It was too early for any action to be happening, so the waiting room was deserted when I passed. Opening the door to the staff room, I turned on the lights and tossed my bag onto the counter.

The staff room had become a safe haven for all of the workers at Dahlberg Hospital, somewhere to get away on breaks. It was a tiny room, with enough space for a large, round table with seats, two vending machines shoved in the corner, and a counter running along the right side by the door that everyone dumped their stuff on for the day. The room got a small amount of natural light from a window on the opposite wall, but other than that was lit by a series of bulbs that cast fluorescent light on the room and flickered intermittently.

In comparison to my co-workers, who spent every second they could chatting in here, I preferred to keep my distance. As soon as more than a few people jammed in it got far too crowded for me.

"Morning, Calypso!"

I turned to see a woman entering, and immediately smiled. I didn't have a lot of friends, but I did have Cathy, who worked side by side with me as a nurse. With her curly red hair and splash of freckles across her nose she was the epitome of a ball of fire, with a vibrant personality to match. She was always interesting, that was for sure.

"Good morning, Cathy," I said, watching as she set her bag down next to mine. "What's up?"

She shook back her curly hair and started tying it back in a ponytail. "Ah, same old, same old. I was just crying over the fact that it's only Tuesday."

"Well, just think; tomorrow it will be only Wednesday!" I said cheerfully.

Cathy rewarded me with a sarcastic eye-roll. "I hope something interesting happens today," she commented. "It's been so slow for the past week."

"You just wished for something interesting to happen at a _hospital_," I pointed out. "Do you even know what interesting means here?"

"Well, obviously I don't want anything bad to happen," Cathy said, walking over to the vending machine and peering inside. "I just miss the holidays. So many wonderful, strange things happen during those months. Remember that guy who got a toilet seat glued to his forehead?"

I laughed. "He wasn't very pleased about that."

"Yes, but we were," Cathy said with a grin. She frowned at the machine. "Hey, can I borrow a dollar? I want a candy bar."

I sighed but fished around in my pocket for a moment. Pulling out a crumpled bill, I walked over to her and held it out. "Did you forget to have breakfast again?" I asked as she snatched it out of my hand.

"Of course not," Cathy said. "I'm just hungry again. It's time for my post-breakfast snack. I promise I'll pay you back tomorrow."

"That's what you said last week," I pointed out, unsurprised when Cathy pretended not to hear me.

"Alright, I'm going to head out and get to work," I said, crossing back over to the door. "Try not to break anything."

I heard the vending machine deposit a candy bar into the slot at the bottom. "No promises," Cathy called back.

I stepped out of the room, but before I could close the door behind me, Cathy called after me.

"Hey, Calypso! Keep your eye on the front desk," she told me. "We're getting someone new on reception."

Intrigued, I turned back. "What happened to Margaret?" I asked, referring to the ancient old lady who had run the front desk for as long as I had been here.

Cathy was already halfway through her candy bar. She swallowed before continuing. "Apparently her health took a turn for the worse," she said. "She's fine, but she decided to retire. I think she moved out to the countryside or something."

I frowned, sympathetic for the old lady. I had never spoken to her much, but she had always been nice. "That's too bad."

"Yeah," Cathy said, popping the last of the candy bar into her mouth. A chocolate-coated smile slid onto her face. "But I hear we're getting a guy. A _young _one. Perhaps an _eligible _one."

I rolled my eyes. "You're going to love that."

"_We're _going to love that," Cathy insisted, walking over to the door. "Come on, Calypso, none of the blind dates I've set you up on have worked out. It's like you don't even care about your love life."

"I do," I said, turning away and setting off down the hall. Cathy quickened her pace to walk beside me, a doubtful look on her face. "I'm just… holding out for the right guy."

"Like Percy Jackson?" Cathy asked, eyebrows raised.

I felt a deep flush spread across my cheeks and averted my eyes. Cathy sighed and put her hand on my shoulder to slow me down.

"Look, Calypso, you know I've got your best interests in mind," she said quietly. "I'm trying to help you. You have _got _to get over this guy; it's doing you no good being all hung up on him."

"I know," I said, impatiently brushing her hand off. "And I will. Promise." I turned and set off down the hall again. "Come on, Cathy, we need to get to work."

Behind me, I heard Cathy sigh. "What am I going to do with her?" she muttered.

* * *

"So there I was, two shots into the night and already pretty wasted, and this guy walks up to the bar," the blond receptionist was saying to the group of avid listeners in the staff room. She was perched on the table, and the seats around her were all occupied by her bored co-workers looking for some entertainment on their break.

I sighed and fought through the tiny space to my purse, digging through it to get to my wallet. The last thing I wanted to do was listen in on Margaret's newest 'bar story', or so she called them. All that girl did in her free time was hang out in bars with her friends and get up to no good. I only ever saw her at breaks; she was a receptionist, and our jobs didn't mix all that often. What I did know of her, though, was that she was young, only 21 or 22, and had dropped out of college to pursue her 'real dreams'- whatever those happened to be. I doubted a receptionist at a tiny hospital was one of her life goals.

"And I was just like, 'Back off, dude; there's this thing called personal space,'" she was saying, rolling her chocolate brown eyes at the group. "And he just totally lost it."

Grabbing my wallet, I pulled a few bills out and stuffed them into my pocket. Turning around and fighting my way back through the crowd to the door, I slipped outside, missing the last of Margaret's story (much to my relief).

A flash of red down the hall caught my attention. "Cathy!" I called to my friend, who was wheeling a cart away from me.

She turned around as I walked over and smiled. "Oh, hey. You going on break?"

"Yeah, I'm heading out to get some coffee and a bite to eat," I said. "Want to come with?"

Her face fell. "Oh, shoot, I wish I could, but I'm kind of caught up at the moment. I think I'm going to just work through break; I really need to get all of this done. Sorry."

"It's fine," I said, waving off her apology. "No big deal. Do you want me to bring you something back?"

Cathy's face lit up. "Oh, Calypso, would you? I'm starving, and the only thing I have on me is a couple of mints."

"Sure, I'll grab something," I promised her. "See you in a bit."

"Thank you!" she called over her shoulder as she resumed wheeling the metallic cart down the hall.

As I headed over to the front doors, I glanced at the front desk, which was being looked after by a woman I recognized to be one of the nurses. She must have been stationed there temporarily; the new guy wasn't here yet. Shrugging, I continued walking, passing the waiting room. There were a few people in there, all of them either signing forms of flipping through the magazines that were strewn about the room to keep people busy. A few of them looked up eagerly as I passed, but when I didn't go over to them they lost interest and went back to their reading.

Right across the street from the hospital was a little coffee shop I always went to on my breaks. It was quick, easy, and their food actually wasn't that bad. It had a very urban feel to it, with plenty of organic choices, and it was almost always packed full of young college kids flirting and experimenting with new drinks. Not my sort of crowd, but I wasn't looking to make friends in there.

The bell jingled overhead as I stepped in, and everyone turned to glance at me briefly before going back to their conversations, unimpressed with my older age and unstylish uniform.

Huh. Twice in five minutes.

The line was short, and in only a few minutes I was at the register, ready to order.

"I'll have a tall black coffee and two turkey sandwiches," I said, looking up at the menu.

The worker behind the counter was a young man with a shock of bleached blond hair and a silver nose ring. He bobbed his head, but I couldn't tell whether he was affirming my order or dancing to the music playing overhead.

"That'll be $16.78," he said. I hoped that meant that he had been listening to me.

I handed over a twenty dollar bill and dropped the coins I received back into the tip jar. Scanning the room, I zeroed in on a plush red chair in the corner, which was the only seat in the whole shop that was empty.

Sitting down, I pulled out my phone and started scrolling through it, checking for messages. To my surprise, I had a voicemail. Frowning, I clicked on it and pressed it to my ear, turning away from the noise of the shop to listen.

"Hey, Calypso, it's Percy," a deep voice said on the line. I felt my heart skip a beat, and I pressed myself farther into the chair as if to get more privacy.

"You're probably at work right now, but I was just calling to check if we're still on for coffee on Thursday. Sorry we couldn't do it last month; work was pretty hectic, you know? Anyways, I can meet you-"

His voice cut off, and Calypso heard muffled talking on the other end. Percy laughed, and then returned to the phone. "Sorry, Annabeth just got home. I can meet you at 3 at our usual place on Thursday. Give me a call when you get this. Bye!"

I sighed as I lowered the phone, deleting the message. I would call him back after work.

I got up when they called my order and grabbed the white paper bags and coffee cup off the counter. As I walked back outside and set off across the street back to the hospital, I tried to shake off the sullen mood the voicemail had given me. Thinking back to what Cathy had said about me having to get over Percy, I laughed a little bit. I was pretty doubtful that that was going to happen anytime soon. I might just get together with that new worker just to get my mind off things.

As soon as I walked through the front doors I was practically tackled by a streak of red hair and dragged off to the corner. I stumbled, clutching onto my hot coffee and breathing a sigh of relief when it didn't spill.

"Cathy!" I hissed. "What the heck?"

"I saw the new receptionist guy," Cathy whispered, looking excited. "He just got here."

"That's great," I said, yanking my arm away. "Now can I go eat my sandwich?"

"Not yet, you have to see him," she whined. "Come on, Calypso- this is exciting! We haven't had a newbie around in ages."

"You act like this is high school or something."

"No, this is work- even better!" She craned her neck to look down the hallway. "He's kind of cute, I guess, in a scrawny sort of way. Latino, I think. Is that your type?" Before I could answer, she whacked my arm, and I came dangerously close to spilling my coffee again. "Oh, there he is!"

She dragged me forward towards the center of the room so we could see as he came around the corner, talking with none other than Margaret, who must be showing him around. He was looking at her with a cheeky grin, and when he turned to look at the room, towards Cathy and I, I nearly dropped my coffee. There was no mistaking that head of curly brown hair and glinting eyes.

"Leo?" I asked in disbelief.

* * *

**A/N: Here we go! This is the sequel to 'The Green Eyed Delinquent'. Thank you very much if you read this and are willing to continue on to the sequel; and if you're a new reader, hello! **

**Please leave a review and tell me what you think so far. I know the first chapter was short, but they're going to get longer as I start establishing everything. Thanks for reading!**

**-Kayla**


	2. Chapter 2

xxCalypsoxx

Upon hearing his name, Leo looked away from Margaret, who was giggling about something, and scanned the room. When he spotted me, his jaw actually fell open in surprise.

"Calypso?" he asked incredulously.

I felt Cathy tug my arm, whispering, "You know him?" but I ignored her. Shaking her off, I glared at Leo.

"Oh, no you don't," I snapped at him. "You can't work here; I _like _this job!"

Leo rolled his eyes, already looking irritated by my presence. He crossed his arms. "Trust me, if I knew _you_ were going to be here I wouldn't have taken this gig in the first place. What are you anyways- a lunch lady down in the cafeteria?"

"I'm a nurse, Valdez," I said shortly, my hand clenching around the coffee cup and scalding my fingers through the thin Styrofoam.

Margaret, who had been looking between the two of us with a clueless expression, spoke up. "Wait a minute," she said, shaking her head in confusion. "You two have met?"

I laughed wryly. Leo glared at me. "Once or twice," he muttered.

Margaret blinked at him, then her lips spread into a wide smile. "That's great! I'm sure you two are going to be seeing a lot more of each other now!" Flipping her blond hair over her shoulder, she reached for Leo's arm and started dragging him away. "Come on, Leo, I need to finish showing you around."

A flush spread across Leo's cheeks. He glanced at me one last time before he was dragged down the hall by the receptionist, disappearing around the corner.

As soon as he was out of sight I let out a sound of frustration. "I can't believe this!" I cried, stomping off down the hall to the staff room.

"Calypso, wait!" Cathy called, chasing after me. "What the heck was that?"

I pulled open the door to the staff room and stalked inside. It was mostly empty by this point; lunch was almost over, and without Margaret there telling her stories, most people had evacuated. A few stray nurses lingered in the chairs, their heads buried in their phones, and didn't look up when we entered.

"I know Leo," I said, tossing the bags onto the table and falling back into one of the seats. "I haven't seen him in ages; I was beginning to think I'd gotten away!"

"You aren't making any sense whatsoever," Cathy said dryly, pulling up a seat next to me. She reached for one of the bags and peeked inside. "Oh, turkey, nice call. Thanks."

"You're welcome," I muttered, resting my chin on my fist and staring glumly at the table. My mood had already been falling throughout the day, but now it had taken a plummet to rock-bottom. Just when I was getting settled into my job and life, the last person on earth that I wanted to see had to show up.

Cathy pulled out her sandwich and inspected it. "Okay, I'm ready. Why do you two hate each other?"

I sighed and sat back in my seat, putting my fingers to my temples. "We met a long time ago, when I was only 18 and he was 16. My dad had only just passed away a few months ago, and I got this job at a hardware store to make some money while I figured out what I wanted to do." I made a face. "Leo worked there too. He got hired about a month after I did."

Cathy munched on her sandwich. "I'm guessing you two didn't hit it off," she said in between bites.

I laughed a little. "You'd be right. We weren't _unfriendly; _we didn't care much for each other, but we were polite. Until the paint fiasco."

"The paint fiasco?" Cathy asked, raising her eyebrows with interest. "Oh, do tell, this sounds interesting."

"Well, Leo had only been working there about three weeks when, one day- and don't ask me how, because I will never know- he managed to knock into a bunch of shelves. A _lot _of shelves. They came crashing down, spilling paint all over the place. The store must have lost a fortune!"

Cathy nodded slowly. "Alright, the kid's a klutz. What does that have to do with you?"

"Well, they punished Leo, of course. I think he got put on probation or something, and had to replace a lot of the stock. He was pretty peeved off about that. But he got off easy- technically, I was supposed to be stocking that area, and he was just passing through. So when the manager found out what had happened, he _fired _me because, as his superior, I was supposed to be 'watching' Leo, and I was the one supposed to be out there. I tried to tell him I was in the back getting supplies, but he wouldn't listen to me."

Anger boiled up in me at the remembrance of that mishap, and I slapped the table out of frustration so I wouldn't start yelling. A couple people glanced up from their phones to glare at me before returning to their screens.

Cathy frowned, bewildered. "What? Why would you get fired?"

"Don't ask me," I huffed. "The manager had it out for me, I guess. We never got along well; he had been looking for something to fire me on. He liked Leo well enough; Leo's a wannabe mechanic, so he definitely knew what he was doing at the store. Whereas I didn't really know much about hardware, but I got my job done!" I leaned back in my seat and frowned at my lap. "Anyways, it took me a month to find another job. And in that time, Leo managed to get himself fired anyways, so I guess karma came back for him."

"At least there's that," Cathy said hopefully.

"Yeah, I guess," I said with a sigh. Standing up, I said, "Come on, lunch is over. We need to get back to work."

"You haven't eaten, though!" Cathy said, crumpling up her bag and tossing it into the trash.

I looked at my sandwich, my appetite suddenly nonexistent. "I'm not all that hungry right now. If you want it, you can have it." I dumped the rest of my coffee into the trashcan.

Cathy's face lit up. "Seriously? Sweet." She snatched up the sandwich and ate it on the way out of the room.

"So," she said with a mouth full of turkey, "what are you going to do? You can't avoid Leo; you work together now."

"I know," I said, brushing my hair back. "We're going to have to get along at work. I'll just try to keep out of his way as much as possible and hope I'll actually get to keep my job this time." I wrung my hands anxiously. "I really can't lose this job; this is exactly what I've wanted my whole life."

Cathy smiled sympathetically and patted my shoulder. "Just don't go near the front desk," she suggested.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Cathy, I'll avoid the front desk, the center of the hospital that I pass every five minutes. Surely that can't be too difficult."

Cathy grinned. "Now you're getting the hang of it!"

* * *

"Calypsooooo!"

I grit my teeth and kept my head down, wheeling the cart across the tile. Everyone around me brushed past with clipboards and bags, and each of them looked over at the front desk and frowned at the guy frantically waving his arms around.

"Oh, Calypsooooo! Hey- Calypso! Pssst, Calyp-"

"What?" I hissed, glancing over at the front desk, where Leo was sitting. Acknowledging him seemed to be the only way to get him to shut up and stop bothering the entire hospital. When he realized he'd finally gotten my attention he grinned cheekily.

"Hi," he said with a little wave, waggling his fingers.

I glared at him and pushed the cart harder, going as fast as I could with a thirty pound load of supplies on wheels to maneuver. I felt Leo's eyes on me as I wheeled it out of view of the front desk.

Yesterday I had managed to avoid Leo for the rest of his introductory tour, but today, the first full day of his working here, I was feeling the effects of having him as a co-worker once more. Every single time I passed by his desk he felt it necessary to get my attention. He never wanted to talk, either; he just wanted to grin stupidly when he saw that he'd annoyed me and say "Hello" in his aggravating, sing-song voice.

I pulled open the door to room 103 and pushed the cart in. "Here you are, Dr. Morgan," I said tiredly, pulling back on it to bring it to a stop. "Everything's ready."

As soon as I spoke Dr. Morgan whirled around to face me, dropping the magazines he had been fussing with on the counter. His face split into one of his trademark freshly-whitened smiles, all his teeth showing.

"Thank you, Ms. Liakos!" he said, his bright blue eyes crinkling at the corners with the strength of his smile. "I'm heading off to Surgery Room 1 right now. Nothing major; just, you know, every day stuff for a surgeon."

Pride practically dripped from his words. I stood there awkwardly, trying to think of something to say that would neither encourage or offend him.

"Oh, um… good luck, then, Dr. Morgan," I settled with. There, that was friendly, right?

I turned to go, but before I had even touched the handle on the door Dr. Morgan called for my attention.

"Oh! Ms. Liakos!" he said, and I warily looked at him over my shoulder, expecting the worst. He straightened up proudly, tugging on his white coat to smooth out any wrinkles. "I was wondering if you wanted to grab lunch with me today," he said, with a grin. "There's this delicious little café just down the street that I just _know _you'd love."

I blinked, taken aback by his sudden offer. I had been expecting more of his bragging about being a surgeon. He stood there, staring at me with that unwavering, toothy smile, and I felt as though I were suddenly onstage in a huge performance. "Dr. Morgan," I started, "er… I would love to, but I actually have plans with my friend Cathy."

His smile faltered, but however forced it now seemed to be he would not let it drop. "That's perfectly fine," he said with a nod. "Another day, then!"

"Sure- I mean, of course, Dr. Morgan," I said with a quick smile, turning around quickly and pulling the door open.

"Please, call me Leslie," he urged.

I briefly shut my eyes before looking back at him with a forced smile. "I think it's best if I just call you Dr. Morgan- for the sake of keeping a professional atmosphere."

Another flicker of that smile. "Oh. Of course, you're completely right. Off you go, then."

I slipped out of the room and into the hall, breathing a sigh of relief. Before he could come out and try to invite me on another date I hurried away- and, of course, my path took me past the front desk.

Leo, who was already bored with his job, apparently, was trying to balance a pencil on the tip of his nose when I walked in. When he saw me his face lit up, and the pencil clattered back to his desk. "Calypso!" he called, waving his hands enigmatically.

"Not now, Leo," I sighed, trying to look like I had somewhere to go when I walked quickly past him.

The sterile black tiles underfoot clinked loudly every time my heels hit the ground. I winced as the sound resonated through the almost empty hallway, and resolved to wear quieter shoes from now on. I didn't want to announce my approach with my own personal marching band.

I saw the flash of bright red hair all the way down the hall as Cathy turned the corner, her head in some paperwork. I caught her by the elbow as she passed and she looked up in surprise.

"Calypso, hey! What's up?" she asked, shutting the manila folder and sticking it under her arm.

"Dr. Morgan," I said quietly, not wanting anyone passing to hear our conversation. This hospital was prone to gossip.

Cathy raised her eyebrows. "What'd he do this time?" she asked, already sounding resigned. She knew all about his character.

"He asked me out for lunch," I complained. "He's getting bolder, Cathy; sooner or later he's going to start getting serious and ask me out for real dates. I don't know how to handle that!"

Cathy looked deep in thought for a moment. "Here's an idea," she said slowly. "Why don't you say yes?"

"You can't be serious," I said with surprise, taken-aback.

"Just think about it, Calypso. He's good looking, smart, _and _he's a surgeon. Do you know how well they get paid?"

"I'm not going to date someone just because they've got money," I said dryly.

"I'm not saying you should," Cathy said quickly. "It's just something to keep in mind."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Yeah, whatever. I'll let you get back to work."

"Mkay. Oh- how's Leo, by the way?" she said, opening her folder again.

I shot her a look. "How do you think?"

She winced. "That bad?" Glancing over towards the direction of the front desk, a determined look crossed her face. "I'll go talk to him."

"Oh, no you won't," I said, reaching over and grabbing her shoulder before she could hurry away.

"If he's bothering you I'm going to stop him, Calypso."

"He's not bothering me!" at her doubtful expression I smiled reassuringly. "Really, Cathy, I'm fine. Don't get yourself into trouble."

She shook me off. "Oh, you're no fun," she muttered, turning and walking off down the hall.

I watched her go, hoping that she wasn't going to go and cause a scene. Shrugging helplessly, I turned and headed down the hall, pulling my coat closer about myself.

I had only been walking a few moments when someone shouted, "Calypso!"

I stopped in my tracks and groaned aloud. What had happened to my peaceful working environment?

"Hey," Leo said as I turned around. He ground to a halt, flushed from his sprint down the hall. "I've been trying to get your attention all day."

I frowned. "I've responded pretty much every time, and you never said anything other than 'hi'."

He shrugged. "You looked busy."

Was he being serious?

"I _am _busy," I said shortly, turning back around. "And you're supposed to be at the front desk! What if someone needs help?"

Leo joined me at my side as I started walking, a grin sliding onto his face. "The front desk is boring," he announced. "Plus, I need to talk to you."

"Talk, then," I said, scanning the halls for someone I knew in the hopes of excusing myself from this conversation.

"Look, I know we've had some differences in the past-"

I snorted. "_Differences,_" I muttered.

"-but," Leo persevered, "I think this is a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other, become friends."

"Well, I think you're full of it," I shot at him. "All you're doing is setting me up for one of your stupid pranks. I'm telling you right now, Valdez, I don't care what you do, but I'm keeping this job. I don't want you to ruin it for me, so just do me a favor and stay out of my life."

Leo looked taken-aback. "That's harsh."

I felt a tinge of regret, but I knew I had to get my message clear to him. "That's life," I said briskly.

Getting over his initial surprise at my outburst, Leo narrowed his eyes. "You lack any trust whatsoever, don't you?"

"Oh, I trust some people," I said, raising my eyebrows, "but those people aren't you. You've had it out for me since the moment we first met."

Leo scoffed. "Oh, please. _You've _had it out for _me!_"

"Me?" I asked incredulously. "What have I done?"

"Every time I come around it's '_everyone batten down the hatches, Hurricane Leo is coming!_'"

"It's called being cautious," I snapped at him.

"All you've ever been is cautious! It's like you were specifically designed to bring everyone around you down."

"I don't have time for this," I muttered. "I have _work _to do."

"Don't let me hold you back," Leo said hotly, spinning around and taking off in the direction of the front desk, his dark curls bouncing all over the place.

I hurried down the hall and turned the corner. Every room around me was closed, so it felt relatively private as I leaned up against the wall and took a few deep breaths.

I had been hoping to avoid Leo, but obviously that wasn't going to work. I hated seeing him. Every time we spoke, we fought, and I know I always came out feeling like absolute crap. I didn't know how he felt. He was probably just reflecting on how much he hates my guts.

Sighing, I pushed off the wall, eager to get back to work. I could use some distractions right now.

* * *

One very _long _day later, I managed to get home unscathed but exhausted. Collapsing on the sofa, I leaned my head back and shut my eyes, trying to clear my head, but too many thoughts kept bouncing around in there.

Not only had Leo glared at me every time I passed the front desk, I had had to deal with Dr. Morgan staring wistfully at me whenever we passed in the hall.

Don't get me wrong- Dr. Morgan's a nice guy. I just wish he wasn't so nice to _me. _Despite having turned down many of his romantic advances, he still remained convinced that I had a crush on him like all the other nurses and receptionists in the building. And yes, he was very handsome, with neatly trimmed blond hair and an impressive figure, but he most definitely was not my type. He, however, had decided that I was his type and tried to subtly invite me on dates every few days or so- at the most inconvenient moments possible.

I jumped when my pocket started buzzing. Confused, I shifted around and pulled out my cellphone. Pressing answer, I held it up to my ear and tipped my head back again. "Hello?" I said in a tired voice.

"Hey Calypso."

My head shot up instantly at the familiarly deep voice. "Oh- Percy, hey."

"Sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to make sure you got my message yesterday. You haven't called me back."

I mentally face-palmed myself. "I'm so sorry Percy, I forgot to return your call. I've just been so distracted these past few days-"

"Hey, it's fine," Percy said with a light chuckle on the other end. "Can you make it?"

"Tomorrow? Yeah, of course. After work, around 4:30?"

"That's perfect. I'll see you then."

"Yeah, see you," I said with a smile.

Hanging up, I tossed my phone to the other end of the couch and lay back down against my pillows. Hugging one to my chest, I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to focus on tomorrow. At least I had something to look forward to.

* * *

**A/N: Hello again, everyone. Thanks for all the amazing reviews last chapter, I appreciate it a whole lot. Now, to address some questions:**

**There IS only one Margaret; the blond showing Leo around is the blond receptionist from before. **

**This is set before the epilogue, which means Percy would be about 24. For the sake of this story, Leo will be the same age as him.**

**Before you go and judge Calypso for being a little bit testy with Leo, have some patience. More of their background will be revealed. And if you don't ship Caleo, I would stop reading, because that's the whole plot of the story o**

**Oh! And excuse any mild spelling and grammar mistakes, if you would. I look over the chapters before I post them, but I don't have a Beta so there might be a few slip ups. Thanks!**

**Well, thank you all for reading! Please leave a review with some feedback, if you don't mind.**

**-Kayla**


	3. Chapter 3

xxLeoxx

The first thing I saw when I walked into my apartment was an enormous pink bunny perched on my couch.

When I say enormous, I mean enormous; that thing had to be bigger than _me. _Not that being bigger than me was a hard thing to do, but, well- you get the point.

I stood frozen in my doorway, staring at it. I was half-afraid that if I blinked it would disappear. Then, very carefully, not taking my eyes from the bunny, I shouted, "Why is there a pink bunny on my couch?"

I heard a shuffling noise from the kitchen before a head of blond hair poked his head out. "Oh, hey, Leo," my best friend, Jason Grace, said. He strolled out, wearing a plain blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He had a half-burned piece of toast in his hand and when he grinned at me he had crumbs all over his face.

"Hi," I said as he flopped back on the couch next to the bunny, not beating an eye over its appearance. "The bunny?"

"That?" Jason asked, poking his head up over it. "It's Piper's. I won it for her at the carnival."

"Isn't it cute?" Piper asked, coming out of the bathroom with a broad smile. She was wearing a slightly damp t-shirt and her hair was twisted up into a towel atop her head. Coming up behind the bunny, she wrapped her arms around it and gave it a squeeze, grinning up at Leo.

"Er… it's kind of creepy, actually," I said, dropping my bag on the floor and crossing the small room to the even tinier kitchen. "Why is it in my apartment? No, I have a better question- why are _you two _in my apartment?"

"We were exhausted after the carnival and decided to drop by here for a rest stop," Jason said.

"I need to take my spare key away from you," I muttered, pulling open the fridge and digging around inside for a drink. "Hey, did you guys drink my soda?"

"Oh, sorry, Leo," Piper called in an apologetic voice, "did we finish them off? We thought you had more."

I shut my eyes briefly. "It's cool," I shouted back, grabbing a water bottle and straightening up.

"How was work?" Jason asked as I walked back into the room, unscrewing the lid on my water bottle.

"Work-y," I said, sitting down in the spare chair I had shoved into the corner. Apparently the bunny had taken my position on the couch.

"Care to elaborate?" Piper asked, fussing with the polka-dot bow around the bunny's neck distractedly.

I glanced at the bunny again, disconcerted with its presence on my beat-up blue sofa. Its beady black eyes reflected the light from overhead like a strange mirror, and they seemed to follow me wherever I went.

"It's cool, I guess," I said, tucking my legs up to my chest. "Kind of boring. Not a lot happens. Did you guys know Calypso works there?"

"Calypso?" Piper asked, looking surprise. "Waitress Calypso?"

"That would be her."

"No kidding," Piper said, a smile lighting up her face. "What does she do?"

"She's a nurse."

"That's awesome!" Piper exclaimed. "Oh, she was always talking about her dream of being a nurse. I'm so happy she finally did it!"

"I'll bet Leo's not," Jason said with a snicker.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Please, Jason, I'm sure Leo's gotten over his petty little fights with her." She eyed me with her unsettling kaleidoscope eyes. "You _have _gotten over your petty little fights, haven't you?"

"Well…" I trailed off hesitatingly.

Piper and Jason both groaned. "Hey!" I protested. "I have good reason for disliking her! She's had it out for me for years!"

"Calypso's super nice, Leo," Piper sighed. "You antagonize her."

"She antagonizes me!"

"You did shake every soda can in the employee break room when you two worked together so they would explode every time she tried to drink one," Jason pointed out.

"That wasn't directly targeting her. I got the manager, too."

"What about the time you climbed that ladder and 'accidentally' spilled a bucket of paint on her?" Piper asked dryly.

"I'm telling you, that was an accident! Why would I do that?" I crossed my arms with a huff. "Yeah, okay, so I pulled a couple of pranks on her. What's the big deal? She doesn't have to be so _rude _all the time."

"I'm not condoning her behavior, Leo, I'm just trying to tell you that maybe there's a reason she's always so annoyed with you. You haven't exactly treated her with any respect."

"She's just so…" I waved my hands in the air, trying to find the proper word. "_Prank-able_."

"Prank-able?" Jason asked with a snort of laughter. "Dude, open a dictionary once in a while. There are better insults in there."

I sniffed pompously, turning away from him. "My insults are swell, thank you very much."

"Who says 'swell'?"

"Anyways," I said loudly, trying to ignore Jason's smirk, "just because I pulled a couple of jokes on her doesn't mean she always has to be so mean about it. She glares at me whenever I'm around, she rolls her eyes when I speak, she brushes me off-"

"So she basically acts like every other girl you try to talk to," Jason said wryly.

I jumped out of my seat and put my fists up in a fighting stance. "You wanna go, Grace?" I said shortly.

Jason pulled the bunny into his lap and hid behind it. "You wouldn't hit a poor, defenseless bunny, would you?" he asked in a squeaky voice, moving the bunny's arms animatedly.

"At this point I'd be willing to hit anything."

"Sit down, Leo," Piper sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "You two are so immature."

I warily sat down again, snatching up my water bottle and cradling it close. Jason placed the bunny on the floor at his feet and grinned at his girlfriend.

"Lighten up, Pipes," he said. "I just won you the most amazing bunny ever."

"Yes, you did," Piper conceded, "but now we have to find a place for said bunny in our apartment."

Jason smiled. "I think we can work something out."

They both leaned across the sofa and kissed, scooting closer together. I immediately averted my eyes, a disgusted look crossing my face. Did they have to kiss every ten minutes? Gosh, they had to be the most couple-y couple ever.

"PDA, PDA," I shouted, waving my hands in their direction. "Not in my apartment! I repeat, abort kissing!"

When I was certain they had separated again I glanced over to find them both watching me with an amused expression.

"Dude, you have to get over your fear of kissing," Jason said.

"I do not have a fear of kissing!" I said, outraged. "I only have a fear of other people kissing in my presence."

"That's stupid."

"You're stupid."

"You're both stupid," Piper cut in. She grinned at me. "Leo, if it bothers you that much, we'll stop."

I sat back in my seat with a pout, glaring at the floor. "Thank you."

"But one day you'll be the one making kissy faces across the tables, and we're going to be just as weird about it as you are," Piper warned.

I snorted. "Yeah, that's not going to happen any time soon," I said.

"Be optimistic, buddy," Jason said. "You'll meet the right girl eventually."

"That's what you said when we were sixteen," I pointed out.

Jason shrugged. "I meant it then, and I mean it now."

I sighed, getting to my feet. "That's great and all, but if my 'right girl' is out there, I'd like to meet her right now. At this rate I'm going to be old and gray by the time she shows her face."

Piper laughed. "You're not that old, Leo. Tons of people are still looking for love at your age."

"Yeah, like you would know," I snapped, poking my head into the kitchen and tossing my empty water bottle into the trash can. "You've been lovey-dovey with Mr. Bunny Winner over there since we were teenagers; there's no way you two aren't going to get married. You guys are set for life."

Piper and Jason flushed like they always did when marriage was mentioned. Funny, they have no problem declaring their relationship in public to everyone (seriously, I mean _everyone_), but as soon as someone asks them about their marriage they get all flustered and embarrassed. The word 'wedding' is taboo around them.

"That's not the point," Jason said quickly. "Leo, you can't just give up."

"Watch me," I said, falling back into my seat and tipping my head back.

Piper thought for a moment. "I know!" she exclaimed, sitting up in her seat. "I have lots of single friends; I can set you up on a couple blind dates!"

I raised my head just enough to stare at her. "Piper…"

"No, really, Leo, it'll be fine," Piper assured me. "I know all the girls, and they're all very nice."

I sighed. "I don't know, Piper. I don't like the idea of committing to a date with a girl I don't know."

"If it makes you feel any better, they have to commit to a date with you as well," Piper offered. "They _have _to stay the whole time."

"Gee, Piper, thank you so very much for that self-esteem boost," I said dryly.

"Just think about it," Piper said. "It'll be good for you to meet some new people."

"If you say so," I muttered.

Jason glanced at his watch and got to his feet. "I have to get going," he said, reaching out a hand to help Piper to her feet. "I'm having dinner with my family tonight."

I perked up at the mention of Jason's family. "Including your sister?" I asked eagerly. "Can I come?"

Jason made a face. "Dude, no."

"Dude, yes. Come on, please?"

"No," Jason said flatly.

Piper laughed as she unwrapped the towel around her head, letting the damp locks of brown hair fall to her shoulders. Jason quickly offered to take it back to the bathroom and scurried away.

"Your crush on Thalia makes him uncomfortable," Piper said.

"Good," I replied, pleased. "And I wouldn't call it a _crush, _exactly. It's more of a… vague attraction."

Piper laughed again and walked over to give me a quick hug. "Take care, Leo," she said, picking up her giant bunny, which hid her face from view. "Try not to lose your job, okay? It's a good one."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I said as Jason returned, waving them both off. "Just get that demonic bunny out of my apartment."

"It's cute!" Piper called over her shoulder as the two walked out the door, slamming the door shut behind them.

The sudden silence from their departure was welcome after such a long day. Not only had I been pretty much yelled at by Calypso just for trying to talk to her, I had come home to the two lovebirds invading my house with their freakish bunny.

Don't get me wrong; Jason and Piper are my best friends. I love them, they're great. They just… go into this 'couple-mode' whenever they're together, and suddenly it's like it's only the two of them in the room. That might seem very cute and romantic to some people, but it's downright irritating when we're sitting in a restaurant and they completely forget I'm sitting across from them. Is it that hard to wait until you're _actually _alone?

I sat down on the sofa, grateful that there was finally a seat for me. The spongy cushions were a lot more comfortable than that stupid chair in the corner. No matter how many times Piper pushed me to update my furniture, I always refused. Why fix what isn't broken?

As I settled back into my seat and fished around for the remote control to my television, I thought about Piper's offer. Did I really want to go on a blind date? It's been so long since I've even been on a regular date; how will I know what to do? Do people still go to the movies? Will I still have to pay? How do people date nowadays?

I groaned and rubbed my temples as an episode of Spongebob came to life on my television screen. This whole people-business is a lot more work than it's worth. I should just run off into the mountains and become a hermit.

* * *

xxCalypsoxx

Percy and I always met at our favorite coffee shop, halfway between my house and his apartment. It was a quaint little place filled with spindly legged tables and squashy armchairs all pushed together. The whole place smelled like cinnamon and dark coffee, and the people there were amazingly friendly. As soon as I stepped inside I felt myself relax. This place reminded me of comfort and safety- it reminded me of Percy.

I had gotten there a few minutes early, so I ordered a coffee and snagged our favorite table by the window. While I waited I looked around the tiny shop, taking in the other customers. There was a middle-aged woman in one corner, steadily making her way through the pile of magazines on the coffee table in front of her. A young couple sat across the room, holding hands over the table and smiling sappily at each other. I quickly turned away from them and instead focused on the door, waiting for Percy.

I didn't have to wait very long. Only a few seconds after I had started looking for him, the door opened again and a tall figure entered the shop. Immediately I straightened in my seat, my hands stilling around my cup of coffee.

Percy glanced at the counter once before looking straight towards me at our table, and a broad smile spread across his face. I felt my heart skip a beat when our eyes locked, and I couldn't help the grin that crossed my lips at the sight of him.

He walked up to the counter and spoke to the cashier, sliding over some money. The barista disappeared for a moment before returning with a steaming cup of coffee and a small, white bag. Percy dumped the rest of the money in the tip jar with a smile and turned, walking over to the table.

"Calypso!" he said as he set his stuff down. "How are you?"

I stood up to give him a quick hug, shutting my eyes and breathing in the scent of salt water that always seemed to linger on him.

"I'm great," I said with a goofy grin. I mentally berated myself. I shouldn't act so happy to be in his presence.

"Job treating you well?" he asked, sitting down in his seat.

I shrugged. "More or less."

Percy grabbed the white bag and held it up with raised eyebrows. "Vanilla scone?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "You and your silly scones."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "You dare insult my scones?" he asked, looking scandalized. "Fine. I'll have them both to myself."

I automatically reached for the bag as he stuck his hand in it, causing him to cock an eyebrow. "No, hold up," I said. "Gimme."

Percy laughed and pulled a pastry out of the bag, handing it over. "I knew you couldn't resist the deliciousness," he said, looking pleased with himself.

I took a bite of the treat. "Hey, I can't argue with free scones."

Percy grinned and started on his own. For a few minutes we sat in silence, munching on our scones and sipping at our boiling hot coffees.

"They make these hotter every time I come here," he muttered, blowing on his coffee with an irritated expression. "Don't they know I like everything lukewarm?"

"Lukewarm coffee?" I asked, pulling a face. "That's nasty."

"At least it doesn't burn your taste buds," Percy shot back. "Lukewarm is the best protection against scalding drinks and meals. I think everything should be lukewarm. As soon as I'm president I'm going to command that everything in the country has to be lukewarm. I'll be Mr. Lukewarm."

I stared at him. "You're very passionate about your lukewarm food, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

I watched him with concern for another few seconds before shaking it off. "_Anyways_," I said, "how's work going?"

Percy recently took on a small job at a marine biology lab. It wasn't a big role, but he was hoping he could work his way through the ranks one day.

"Great!" he said enthusiastically. "It's a lot of fun. Granted, I don't _do _much, but at least the work around me is interesting. I think I'll be promoted soon."

I nodded. "That's awesome."

"And you?" Percy asked. "You don't seem too eager on your new job. Something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong with the job itself," I said carefully. "It's more of a personal thing."

Percy furrowed his eyebrows like he always did when he was confused. "Explain."

"Well, the other day Leo took a job there as well," I said cautiously.

Percy frowned. "Leo Valdez? That's the hospital he's working at?"

I blinked, taken-aback. "Wait, you knew he was working at a hospital?"

"Yeah, he mentioned it the other day, but I didn't think it'd be with you," Percy said. "That's so weird. Small world, huh?"

"It's a small world alright," I muttered, staring down into my coffee with a small frown.

"Calypso? What's wrong? Is something wrong with Leo?"

I sighed. "Percy, you know."

"I know you two don't like each other, but he can't be that bad," Percy said. "Granted, he's annoying- very annoying, really- but it's not like he's a nurse or anything. You won't have to see him that much."

"I'll see him every time I pass the front desk," I pointed out.

Percy shrugged. "That gives you a chance to practice your super sneaky spy skills," he said with a grin. "How far can you get without him noticing?"

Despite myself, I laughed. That's another thing I liked about Percy: his ability to make the most out of every situation.

"Enough about me," I said, "how's everyone on your side? Your parents?"

"My parents are great," Percy said. "They're living together." He frowned. "You know, I think there's something going on between them."

I resisted the urge to giggle. Percy was the only person who didn't seem to realize that his parents were dating again.

"Grover's doing fantastic, I believe," Percy continued. "He and Juniper's Organic Superstore is going good. I think," he said, wrinkling his nose. "I don't know who shops at organic superstores, but kudos to them for bringing my bud money."

I smiled at the mention of Grover's girlfriend, Juniper. I had only met her a handful of times, but she had been extremely sweet every time I had talked with her. She and Grover were a great match.

"Thalia and Nico are… well, they're Thalia and Nico," Percy said as though that explained everything.

I smiled, then asked the question that I had been in equal parts anticipating and dreading. "And… Annabeth?" I asked nonchalantly. "How's she?"

Percy's face immediately softened into that wistfully dreamy look he always got when Annabeth was on my mind, and I felt my heart ache. I knew that look was coming- I had it memorized. His lips would curve into a soft, natural smile, his eyes would light up, and every part of him relaxed. The very thought of her was enough to make him happy beyond belief.

I'm glad he's happy. I'm glad she's happy.

I just wish I was the one happy with him.

"Oh, she's doing great," Percy said with the same goofy smile I had had on my face when he walked in. "She's climbing the ranks in that architect firm. She's making good pay, and she's really enjoying her work. Years of hard studying really paid off for her. Plus, she has great hours; there's plenty of time for us to be together. She's never at work late, so we can have dinner every night. Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, great," I said. Percy was so lost in dreamland he didn't notice my less than enthusiastic response.

After a few moments he blinked and snapped out of it. "That's basically it," he said. "I'd say everything's really falling into place for everyone, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I said quietly, pulling my coffee closer to me.

Percy and I caught up on everything happening in our lives for the next 45 minutes, going through another set of scones and two more coffees each. Eventually he excused himself, telling me with a broad grin that he was planning on taking Annabeth out to dinner tonight. He gave me one last parting hug and left, practically bouncing out the door.

It took me a while longer to leave. I finished off my coffee, cleaned up the trash, and slowly pulled my jacket back on, heading to the door. The only other customer in the coffee shop was the lady I had seen earlier, still sitting in her corner flipping through the magazines. The barista had supplied her with a new cup of coffee; it sat to the side of her readings, giving off hot steam.

I trudged out of the shop, still fixated on Percy's words from earlier. _I'd say everything's really falling into place for everyone, isn't it?_

Everything _was_ falling into place for me. I had paid off my debts, I got to keep my house, I succeeded in my dream of becoming a nurse- I had achieved everything I wanted. I should be happy, elated, halfway to the moon with joy- but I wasn't. The guy I think I might love has a steady girlfriend he'll probably be with the rest of his life, and I still get to return every night to an empty house. Everyone else is growing up and falling in love, and I'm just on the sidelines, watching them all leave me behind. One day I'm going to wake up, old and alone, and realize that my life had wasted away.

I bundled my jacket tighter around me as a cool breeze swept through the streets and picked up some fallen leaves, blowing them past me.

I had gotten everything I'd ever wanted.

Why did I feel so empty?

* * *

**A/N: Jeez Louise that was depressing.**

**Okie dokie, so, I'm sorry for the slow update. Guess what? I started high school! Yes, today was my first day, and I've been struggling trying to get everything together. I'm going to be in school until five every day, so you have to be patient with me. Updates will be less frequent, and if I don't update for a while don't panic; I probably just have a lot of homework.**

**Alright, onto a few questions. Again: there is only one Margaret, one receptionist. The receptionist that showed Leo around was the Margaret from earlier, not the retired one.**

**Second, Leslie can be a guy name. It's uncommon, but it happens.**

**Third, Percy is not married to Annabeth yet, or engaged. This is set before that happens, but trust me when I say we'll be dealing with that soon.**

**Thank you guys for reading! I promise it gets less depressing, haha.**

**-Kayla**


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